Newly Established Rural Health Network at SWOSU Going Strong

Randy G. Curry is the director of the Rural Health Network (RHN) at the Southwestern Oklahoma State University College of Pharmacy in Weatherford. The RHN is actively seeking ways to sustain and increase health care in rural areas through rural pharmacies and hospitals.

The Southwestern Oklahoma State University College of Pharmacy in Weatherford has created a Rural Health Network (RHN) to enhance the pharmacist’s role in the delivery of rural health care.

The RHN is under the direction of Randy G. Curry and is actively seeking ways to sustain and increase the health care in rural areas through rural pharmacies and hospitals.

The RHN currently consists of 120 members. The initiative allows rural pharmacists to share feedback and assist hospitals and other clinics in complying with new healthcare arena requirements. This consists of RHN providing a clinical service to small rural critical access hospitals, thus allowing valuable training for SWOSU students. Rural pharmacists can utilize the network to overcome obstacles.

Curry said the network strongly believes that preventive medicine is the best solution for long-term good health. SWOSU’s RHN educates middle school children on the topics of substance abuse, personal hygiene, nutritional eating and poison prevention, for example. RHN hopes to bring more services to rural areas such as immunizations, medication therapy management and diabetic education.The program also helps pharmacy students transition into rural settings.

Since Jan. 1 of this year, Curry has visited 109 rural pharmacies in western Oklahoma and the RHN will strive to expand into central and eastern Oklahoma in the coming years.

Campus E-Clips is published by the Communicators Council, an advisory group to the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education comprised of Oklahoma higher education public information officers. All stories are submitted to a review panel of council members for editing and selection. To submit a story, please contact the participating council member from your institution. Stories must meet newsletter submission guidelines. Click here to view the Guidelines. For additional information, email newsletter@osrhe.edu. Site hosted by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. Disclaimer